EU wastes 153m tons of food every year: Report

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Sep 13:18
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Approximately 153 million tons of food are wasted in the EU each year, double the previous estimates and 15 million tonnes more than is shipped in, the study estimates.

A worker dumps pre-consumer food waste. (Archive)

The EU wastes more food than it imports and could halt food price inflation by simply reducing on-farm waste, as per a study produced by Feedback EU.

Approximately 153 million tons of food are wasted in the EU each year, which is double previous estimates and 15 million tons more than is shipped in, the study estimated.

The study stressed that the amount of wheat wasted in the EU alone is equal to roughly half of Ukraine's wheat exports and a quarter of the EU's other grain exports.

On his account, the director of Feedback EU said, “At a time of high food prices and a cost of living crisis, it’s a scandal that the EU is potentially throwing away more food than it’s importing. The EU now has a massive opportunity to set legally binding targets to halve its food waste from farm to fork by 2030 to tackle climate change and improve food security.”

This comes as global food prices were 8% higher last month than a year ago, as per the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Wheat, maize, and soya bean prices have all surpassed records set at the height of the global financial crisis in 2008.

Each year, an estimated 20% of EU food production is wasted, costing EU businesses and households €143 billion ($143 billion). Food waste accounts for at least 6% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU.

Another inquiry published on Monday in Nature Food showed that trading wheat and maize would only partially alleviate global food shortages caused by the Ukraine war, and even then, at the expense of increasing carbon emissions.

The paper predicts that maize and wheat prices will rise by 4.6% and 7.2%, respectively, in the coming year.